1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a diffuser assembly for connection to heat and air-conditioning systems and more particularly to a universal diffuser assembly that is lightweight, with improved thermal insulating and sound absorbing characteristics and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Air diffuser assemblies of various configurations and material have been suggested in the prior art. Since air-conditioning and heating design, in both commercial and residential buildings, requires a subjective determination of diffuser sizes and locations, a distributor generally must maintain a supply of different size plenum chambers and adaptor collars to meet subjective design requirements.
The most popular diffuser assemblies utilized are formed from sheet metal in a relatively simplified box construction to insure maximum economy in labor and cost of materials. These metal plenum chambers can be relatively noisy and have poor thermal insulating characteristics. Frequently a manufacturer will seek to standardize a plenum chamber and provide different size adapter collars for interfacing with various size air-conditioned ducts, this approach, however requires an additional part, viz, a transition adaptor collar. There have been suggestions in the prior art to both thermally insulate and reduce vibratory sound by treating the plenum chamber with insulating material as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,677.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,987,258 discloses a sheet metal plenum chamber having appropriately shaped wall sections that are partially cut through to form both duct outlets when removed and to provide an adjustable damper for the duct outlet.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,867 discloses an acoustical blower package for a computer wherein a block of sound absorbing material is mounted within a housing shell and is coated with neoprene in an attempt to muffle both the motor and scroll chambers.
To date, the building industry has had to resort to box shaped metal plenum chambers with transition adaptor collars when installing heating and air-conditioning systems in buildings. There is a need for an improved and more economical, lightweight diffuser assembly having a reduced noise criteria, NC, level over that of the conventional metal diffuser assemblies.